{"id":337,"date":"2023-10-31T02:01:38","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T02:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hesychia.foundation.local2\/?page_id=337"},"modified":"2023-10-31T02:02:44","modified_gmt":"2023-10-31T02:02:44","slug":"key-4-its-important-to-mix-the-best-positive-psychology-practices-with-your-main-practice","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hesychia.foundation\/key-4-its-important-to-mix-the-best-positive-psychology-practices-with-your-main-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"Key 4: It\u2019s important to mix the best positive psychology practices with your main practice"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Meditation and related practices are widely praised as a near \u201cmiracle cure\u201d for increasing wellbeing, reducing depression, and so on. The reality is that \u201cgold-standard\u201d meditation practices act powerfully on the brain, and not always in the direction of increasing wellbeing. There is quite a bit of research into this, from\u00a0Ivy League universities<\/a><\/span>\u00a0to mediation halls.<\/p>

As you experiment with methods, even the ones that don\u2019t work for you might still produce a negative emotional reaction in you. Methods that do work for you will act on your system in a way that might also trigger negative emotion at times, and maybe even old traumas and similar things that are stored from the past.<\/p>

So, what do you need to know to ensure this doesn\u2019t happen to you, and to manage it if it somehow does?<\/p>

Leading scientists often recommend that you immediately stop doing any practice that lowers your wellbeing after one week of one hour a day practice. It\u2019s that simple.<\/p>

There is nothing in\u00a0their research<\/span><\/a>\u00a0that suggests a prolonged \u201cno pain, no gain\u201d type approach is needed to find your fit. You need to give a method a week of one hour a day practice, but that\u2019s it.<\/p>

Methods that have stood the test of time are often very powerful. It\u2019s important that you treat them with a healthy dose of respect. If you encounter one that consistently produces a less than positive effect on you, you should not assume that continuing to use it will somehow lead to a positive outcome. There\u2019s simply no reason to risk it, given the wide variety of methods that are available.<\/p>

Having said this, many methods might occasionally bring up a less than positive experience in you. That\u2019s fine. What you want to avoid are the ones that do so consistently, or that bring up very strong negative experiences.<\/p>

There are many well researched positive psychology exercises that can be used to positively impact your mental and emotional wellbeing. These include things like forgiveness exercises, gratitude exercises, positive intent and visualization type exercises, and more.<\/p>

Most of the books written about this by the self-help and personal development folks are inaccurate, and their version of these types of methods can actually make you less happy. There are very important nuances that scientists have discovered that are important to get right.<\/p>

For example, the ever popular method of journaling is not universally good in and of itself. Nor is one way of doing it. People are often told to journal by either reliving the experience or by analyzing it. However, if you relive a negative experience you get less happy, and analyzing a positive experience makes you less happy. So you need to relive happy experiences as you journal and analyze negative ones to get the right effect.<\/p>

Generally speaking, only the scientists in the space understand this type of detail and build it into their exercises and books. So, we always recommend using their materials. Below are links to books from some of the best researchers. You don\u2019t have to order them if you don\u2019t want to, you can also search for the authors\u2019 names on the internet and learn more about what they recommend that way, as well.<\/p>